Verified Document

Preventing Sexual Harassment Sexual Harassment Term Paper

The first type is known as "quid pro quo" harassment and it occurs when someone in power, such as a supervisor or a professor, promises or denies something in exchange for sexual favors. For example, if a boss tells his secretary he will give her a promotion if she sleeps with him, that would qualify as quid pro quo sexual harassment. or, if a professor tells a student that if she doesn't sleep with him, he will give her an F. For the course, this would also qualify as quid pro quo sexual harassment. The second type of sexual harassment is known as "hostile environment" sexual harassment. This involves a pattern of behavior that creates a hostile environment in which an individual feels uncomfortable working. For example, a woman working in an office where all of the men have Playboy centerfolds hanging over their desks could be considered a hostile environment if she asks them to remove them and they refuse to comply. Once again, the actions have to be both unwelcome and offensive. It must also "unreasonably interfere with an individual's work performance" (Gordon 11).

Although most of the time it is women that bring charges of sexual harassment, the offense is not limited to women. Men can be victims of sexual harassment as well. Male or female, there are certain actions that need to be taken to effectively prove a case of sexual harassment. The first step is to immediately notify your employer (unless obviously it is your employer doing the harassing). If you are student being harassed you need to contact an administrative office designated to deal with discrimination and sexual harassment. These vary by university as to what they are called but information should be readily available on campus. If the authority you report the sexual harassment to fails to investigate and/or take appropriate action, then it is time to contact a lawyer. You must, however, at quickly because the longer you delay the process, the less likely you are to win your case (Gordon, 2007).

A recent case at a university demonstrated that sexual...

In the case of DeJohn vs. Temple University, a student at Temple University filed suit claiming that the university's sexual harassment policy was too restrictive and consequently violated the first amendment right to free speech. The court sided with the plaintiff, referring to the First Amendment's "overbreadth principle," which asserts that states are not allowed to pass laws that are too broad and do not define specifically what is prohibited. According to Sarabyn (2008) "The opinion provides an eloquent defense of free speech rights on university campuses and concludes with an unambiguous finding that Temple's speech code is facially unconstitutional."
Considering the multitude of court cases that have been filed over the years, one would think that all of the possible ambiguities related to sexual harassment would be cleared up by now. Unfortunately, that is simply not the case. Confusion over the laws of sexual harassment continues to persist, and although training programs cannot solve the problem entirely, they can certainly help make the situation clearer to a lot of people who desperately need clarification.

WORKS CITED

Gordon, Linda Howard, the Sexual Harassment Handbook, Career Press, 2007. Print.

Orlov, Darlene and Roumell, Michael T., What Every Manager Needs to Know About Sexual Harassment, AMACOM/American Management Association, 2005. Print.

Saguy, Abigail, What Is Sexual Harassment?: From Capitol Hill to the Sorbonne, University of California Press. 2003. Print

Sarabyn, Kelly "Victory for Free Speech in DeJohn v. Temple," Fire's the Torch, (August 4, 2008) Web. http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/9574.html

Siegel, R.B. And MacKinnon, Catherine, Directions in Sexual Harassment Law, New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Press, 2004

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Facts About Sexual Harassment. Web. http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-sex.html

Sources used in this document:
WORKS CITED

Gordon, Linda Howard, the Sexual Harassment Handbook, Career Press, 2007. Print.

Orlov, Darlene and Roumell, Michael T., What Every Manager Needs to Know About Sexual Harassment, AMACOM/American Management Association, 2005. Print.

Saguy, Abigail, What Is Sexual Harassment?: From Capitol Hill to the Sorbonne, University of California Press. 2003. Print

Sarabyn, Kelly "Victory for Free Speech in DeJohn v. Temple," Fire's the Torch, (August 4, 2008) Web. http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/9574.html
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Facts About Sexual Harassment. Web. http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-sex.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Sexual Harrassment Quid Pro Quo
Words: 381 Length: 1 Document Type: Term Paper

3) Implement formal and informal problem solving mechanisms, grievance procedures, investigative measures, and disciplinary procedures to resolve sexual harassment complaints. 4) at least once a year, conduct training sessions for employees. These sessions should teach employees what sexual harassment is, explain that employees have a right to a workplace free of sexual harassment and review your complaint procedure and encourage employees to use it. 5) at least once a year, conduct training

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Words: 3076 Length: 11 Document Type: Research Paper

At all times, a compliant organization will provide the following to all/each staff/employee: A non-hostile work environment An anonymous and secure system for staff to report sexual harassment/ethical concerns Quick and responsive, unbiased, comprehensive & objective investigation into all claims A safe and courteous atmosphere for our patient population and for our staff An environment void of preferential treatment or discrimination based on gender An environment void of preferential treatment Interim & annual training sessions conducted

Sexual Harassment: Study
Words: 1281 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Sexual Harassment: An Examination Given the media and given the average citizen's level of misinformation, it's not at all uncommon for myths and unrealities to continue to thrive regarding sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination and a negative interaction which is in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Sexual harassment is illegal in the workplace and refers to "Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and

Sexual Harassment the Environment Within
Words: 1041 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Employees have more difficulty identifying this type of harassment and therefore it is more problematic to address (Icenogle, Eagle, Ahmad, & Hanks, 2002). It occurs where an employee endures catcalls and other comments about their manner of dress. If the comments are unwelcomed and incessant, the action of these employees becomes sexual harassment. Another example of this type of behavior also relates to the act of continuously asking a

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Words: 615 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

This must be done with care so that the accused offender does not attempt to take retaliatory action against the accuser. The Goforth article discusses how the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission use outreach programs to show business leaders how a proactive approach to sexual harassment issues can prevent lawsuits, protect bottom lines and preserve reputations. The article recommends that employers must take an

Sexual Harassment
Words: 1928 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

Sexual Harassment Should a person (employer or employees) be held liable for unintentional sexual harassment? If yes, under what circumstances? If no, under what circumstances? Give examples of particular cases that address both circumstances. Sexual harassment is defined as "any verbal or physical behavior with sexual connotations that brings discomfort or degrades the work environment, where the aggressor takes advantage of his or her position or repeated involvement to impose such behavior

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now